Huggabies

"HOW was your day?" You ask him without fail every night. "Busy-busy," he says redundantly. This means that it is indeed a toxic weekday at the office. On regular days, he plainly says "busy." But on really bad days, he triples his reply to "busy-busy-busy" with a matching wall-eyed expression that he seems to do rather naturally. "Ikaw, how was your day?" He asks you as he slips under the comforter and slides in right beside you. You open your arms to welcome him as you reply, "It's okay, I guess. Madaming school stuff na hindi ko pa natatapos. I'm preparing din for field trip..." He pulls you closer. "Huggabies," he says like a wounded pup that only you are allowed to see. Huggabies is a term that you both started using in college. Huggabies translates to a warm comforting embrace after a hell of a day. "Anong gagawin natin bukas?" You run your fingers through his hair as you try to open a conversation about your upcoming anniversary. Instead of a reply, you hear a wheezing sound. You turn to him and see that he is fast asleep. As expected. Just like yesterday. And the days before that.

What do you do when your partner sleeps ahead of you?

Finding what you have searched for so long is a dream come true. When everything fits perfectly in the small picture of the future that you created inside your mind, do not let go. It is also nice to count your blessings so that you know what you have. Sometimes we tend to focus on what we do not have. We highlight the shortcomings too much that they overshadow what we already have in our hands. A relationship is a partnership where each one supports the other in every way. You may not believe in what your partner believes in, but you support his decision. You may not think the same way but you are there to catch each other when one falls. It is a proven formula to make the relationship work. In the same way, it is a formula that needs a lot of work for you.

Finding the one is not only finding the right person to be with as fireworks fly in the night sky right behind you. It is also finding your own timing and right frame of mind so that you can decide that you are into this relationship as much as the other.

So, let us rewind the story...

"How was your day?" You ask him without fail every night. "Busy-busy," he says redundantly. "Ikaw, how was your day?" He asks you as he slips under the comforter and slides in right beside you. You open your arms to welcome him as you reply, "It's okay, I guess. Madaming school stuff na hindi ko pa natatapos. I'm preparing din for field trip..." He pulls you closer. "Huggabies," he says like a wounded pup. "Anong gagawin natin bukas?" You run your fingers through his hair. You hear a wheezing sound. You turn to him and see that he is fast asleep. This is where we continue the story. You slide in further beside him and put your arms across his chest. And with all your strength and lung power you say with as much love and affection, "Hoy! Tulog ka na naman... Happy Anniversary! Hmph!"

A sound relationship is not always silent. Sometimes, you need a jolt too!

(Talk to me by sharing your stories and sending them to dvgutierrez@gmail.com)